The average Brazilian is about twenty-four years old and lives in an urban area. He makes more money than ten years ago, and is also having fewer children. The average monthly income has increased to $334, a one hundred dollar increase from 1991. The number of those who are

On the average, a Brazilian worker brings home about $3000 U.S. dollars a year. This may be a relatively low number, but according to some estimates as much as thirty percent of the population lives in poverty. It is also increasingly hard for some to get jobs, as unemployment rose for the third straight year to 8% at the end of 2002 as the country joins the world in an economic recession. The national labor force is about eighty million, with over half of all workers employed in the service sector, in part due to the large tourism industry in places such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The rest of the national labor force is either employed in the sectors of agriculture (23% of the work force) or industrial (24%). Consumers have been hurt by the falling economy, suffering through rising inflation, a deflating real, and the rising rate of consumer prices.

As of 2001, the average tariff on imports was about 13.8%. There are no tariff rates that exceed 35%, but the government does employ safeguard measures for some imports, such as toys. The country does ban some imports altogether, one example being re-manufactured auto parts. In 1995, Brazil entered into the Mercosur Common External Tariff with its Mercosur partners. The act places a zero to twenty three percent tariff on over 9,000 agreed upon items, with each country having its own short list of exceptions.

Brazil¡¦s economy, which is roughly the size of Great Britain¡¦s, is currently in a recession like most of the other countries of the world. Inflating prices and a deflating currency have been to blame for this down turn.

Tourism is also a bankable opportunity. Brazil is internationally known for tourism, but also receives tourism dollars (or reais) from its own citizens. Since the country is much like the U.S. in terms of taking vacations, a key opportunity can be found in catering to the Brazilian tourist because of the larger number of citizens taking vacations within the country.

When at the negotiating, it is very important to know that Brazilians place emphasis on relationships over business. During negotiations or meetings, the culture is to take things slow and spend time in conversation, mostly about subjects in business context, before moving on to business discussions in order to get to know one another. One criticism is that Americans dive right into business. The focus is also on the person, so businessmen are more likely to be swayed by effective interpersonal skills more than a flashy presentation. Also, one must be careful not to make a move that shows that he may value his business over his employees or coworkers. For example, if a person on a negotiation team was replaced for business reasons in the middle of a negotiation, the entire contract can be put in jeopardy by the perception that money is valued over people. After the meeting is over, documents are not usually signed right away. The old fashioned handshake is considered a person¡¦s word, and all necessary papers will be prepared at a later time. Also, in a few subcultures, written agreements are not always binding and sometimes may be subject to further change. Social Class may also be a factor during and when finalizing a contract because it is assumed that those who are in higher social classes in economic terms may be entitled to special privileges.

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